Identification: Pussy willows are highly variable in appearance,
in part because they hybridize naturally with related plants. Typically shrubs, they may reach 30' (9.1 m)
in height, making them small trees. Young stems are yellowish- to light-green, becoming red or brown when they
get larger, and finally gray and furrowed. Their “trunks” may be single or multiply branched. Leaves are alternate, roughly elliptical in shape, with a prominent
central vein, 1-5" (3-13 cm) long,
2 to 5 times longer
than they are wide. Flowers are beautiful soft silvery-gray ovals, actually types of catkins, typically about
1" (2.5 cm) long, but up to 4½" (12 cm).
The male catkins produce, well, zillions of teeny yellow stamens
with yellow tips; female catkins are greenish. Fruits are small brown capsules, ¼-⅜" (7-12 mm) long, vaguely banana-shaped,
that look like buds.